To See with Eyes Unclouded
by Sango-sama
Summary: An thoroughly inebriated Sano is found bleeding and unconscious outside the clinic door. Whatever shall become of him? - Sano-Megumi R&R!
1. Prologue

To See with Eyes Unclouded  
  
Prologue  
  
By Sango-sama  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah...don't own Kenshin...blah blah blah..  
  
This is my first fic for the Kenshin-verse. I hope to do more at some point because this series just grew on me, but I fear some of the people who enjoy my work in the Inuyasha and Harry Potter fandoms may hurt me if I don't go back and finish there soon! I'm actually going to try and write this a bit differently...an actually plan this out before I write.  
  
This is still very much a draft form...which I do apologize for. Given some time this will be multi-chapter...but this is finals week.  
  
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His head was throbbing. Bright flashes of color were swarming before his eyes, blurring his already clouded vision. A bandaged hand raked through his already messy hair, tugging at the dark, wayward strands in a vain attempt to divert the pain. The dim light of the street lamps seemed harshly bright to his drink addled eyes. His eyes wrenched shut, dispelling the offending light.  
  
He had just walked out of the bar. A nearly empty sake jug gripped in his left hand. His lanky frame just hunched over enough so he could see the pebble he had been kicking along with his shoe.  
  
  
  
Earlier that day, Suzume-chan had forgotten one of her toys at the dojo. And so, as payment for his mooching for that day, Jou-chan had sent him off with the toy in hand.  
  
And Kenshin stood beside her, as both sent him off with a knowing smile.  
  
Che.  
  
He tipped the lip of the jug up to his waiting mouth, letting the bitter liquid roll down his throat. A thin trail of liquid dripped down his chin.  
  
The Kitsune-onna...  
  
He normally wouldn't have minded the opportunity for verbal banter with the kitsune. Much as he was loathe to admit...  
  
Drinking a hell of a lot when he was happy let him drift off to sleep into an inebriated oblivion.  
  
He swayed a bit, shifting his weight against a wall. The nearly empty jug was lifted back to his lips, the last drops of sake tingling as they trickled down his throat.  
  
But when he was depressed...it only seemed to make him more miserable. The sake dulled his senses enough to forget for a little while. He didn't want to think. So he just drank.  
  
His movements had grown sluggish. At the rate he had been going, he didn't want to think about the hangover he was sure to have in the morning.  
  
"Kyaa!"  
  
"Get away from us."  
  
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A cup balanced precariously in surprisingly steady old hands, the liquid sliding back and forth nearly up to the edge. Genzai-sensei carefully made his way out to the porch to sit and drink his morning tea.  
  
The cool morning breeze seemed just the thing to help him wake up, the sun just beginning to spread its warmth over the dew wet grasses. It was a perfect morning to enjoy the beauty of nature.  
  
And so he would have done, if not for the unconscious body that lay sprawled across the wooden floorboards of the porch.  
  
And the tattered white cloth that clung to the figures back.  
  
Aku...  
  
Sanosuke-san...  
  
All thoughts of communion with nature abandoned. The cup clattered onto the floor, spilling its still warm contents across the boards.  
  
"Megumi!" 


	2. Awakening to the Darkness

To See with Eyes Unclouded  
  
Chapter 1: Awakening to the Darkness  
  
Sango-sama  
  
Disclaimer: Blah blah blah...don't own Kenshin...blah blah blah...Sanosuke in a towel.... blah blah blah...just a towel...blah bl-- ::drools:: ^_^  
  
Thanks to Susan (I love your Shrek Parody ^_^) Karina Kareshi (Handcuff Chronicles!!!! (It's Sano...I'll be re-writing that later...)) and Arashi (Run To You! Wai! Wai!) for reviewing. That completely made my day. I think I function under that same guiding principle that most people do...the more/better reviews you get, the more time you are willing to spend in front of a keyboard typing. Besides, this really is my first Kenshin fic. Don't hold back from giving me any feedback that strikes you, good or bad...just try and make flames a little bit constructive. A "you suck" does not say how to improve the grammar. But this is probably one of the fastest read stories I've read...(Thanks someone upstairs for Enhanced Statistics.)  
  
This is Finals week for me, but I hope I can manage to write a few chapters for you all. Summer has always been my fastest writing time.  
  
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Megumi sighed. Her arms wearily protested the force she was using to grind down the leaves in the base of the mortar. The crushed and torn leaves stained the white ceramic green and yellow.  
  
She picked up another leaf from the pouch on the table, tearing it into small pieces and setting the stalk off to the side.  
  
Her fingers massaged the back of her neck. It hadn't helped that she had spent the night in the clinic.  
  
An old childhood friend of hers had appeared at her office doors with a broken arm. Ryosuke, now a merchant with a small family of his own, had a bad run in with a bag of flour. His arm was bent unnaturally and he had been run to the clinic by one of the local shipyard's men. With Genzai- sensei leaving for the dojo to pick up the girls, she was left to care for the injured man.  
  
Ryosuke hadn't made any comments about having a female doctor. It seems that he had recognized her rather quickly. Perhaps that's not terribly surprising with so few female doctors actually in practice.  
  
But she had been pleasantly surprised to find an old friend to talk to...especially one who had known about her family and avoided opening those old wounds. By the time she was winding a bandage around his arm and the splint, it had seemed if no time had passed since she was back home.  
  
He had offered as payment some of the Western remedies that had come in on this latest shipment as well as a crate of bandages when he returned to have his arm checked.  
  
It had been nothing more than a friendly visit to the clinic...which had ended with a parting hug. It just a tradition between the two...and nothing more.  
  
But Sanosuke had been standing in the doorway.  
  
She hadn't seen him, but Suzume-chan's pinwheel set on the floor, still spinning slowly. No one else would have run off.  
  
No doubt that idiot assumed the worst and headed for the seediest part of town to drink his cares away.  
  
And so, Megumi had spent the evening working on preparing the next days medicine. She hadn't wanted to leave. No...if she went back to her apartment to try and sleep, she just would have worried about that rooster head doing something stupid....which he would inevitably do.  
  
And then he would show up here...  
  
"Megumi!"  
  
The pestle hit the side of the mortar with a clink.  
  
"Megumi, come quickly!"  
  
She really hated being right all the time.  
  
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Pain seared through Sanosuke's head. It felt as if both Jou-chan and Yahiko had borrowed his head to use for practice on Shinai technique.  
  
This had to be the worst hangover he'd had in a long time.  
  
His eyes still squinted shut, he tried to sit up as something wet fell into his lap.  
  
"What the hell?" he murmured.  
  
Slowly, his eyelids slid open, revealing vacant chocolate eyes.  
  
He tried squinting.  
  
He brought the wet cloth up right next to his face...  
  
And then as far back as his long arms would allow.  
  
But it was no use. All he could see was darkness.  
  
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To be continued...  
  
::insert manical laugh #261:: 


	3. Clamboring

To See with Eyes Unclouded  
  
Chapter 2: Clamboring  
  
Sango-sama  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Kenshin. Don't own Sano. ::sobs::  
  
Thanks to Susan, Gypsy-chan, Moonstruck Em, Arashi, Sylverleaf for reviewing.  
  
I apologize for my...brief writing style. I tend to do all my writing at one sitting to keep the mindset consistent...and I'm picky about wording, so I tend to take longer.  
  
This is Finals week for me, but my tests are done today. Aside from packing and cleaning my apartment, I should be free to write more soon!  
  
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Kentaro bravely choked back a quiet sob, gripping the side of his chair with all the strength his tiny hands could manage. The disinfectant stung his already raw skin. Rough-housing with the other boys had left him with a scraped knee and a bruised shin.  
  
His lip quivered as he peeked out from behind his inky black bangs.  
  
Megumi tried rather unsuccessfully to conceal a small smile as she rubbed a dab of salve on the little boy's knee.  
  
"There now...that wasn't so bad, was it?" She gave him a soft smile, tucking away the few silken strands that had fallen out of place.  
  
It was the third time that the young boy had come in to the clinic in a week's time. This situation was quickly becoming all too familiar. Genzai- sensei had treated his sprained ankle and the bump on his head, but already he was littered with scrapes and bruises.  
  
"Nah." He drawled, a smirk settling upon his still chubby face. "Didn't hurt one bit."  
  
Her eyes widened a bit; the resemblance was uncanny. 'That was highly disconcerting...'  
  
She turned her focus down to winding the clean bandage around his leg. "How does your ankle feel today?"  
  
If he managed to get himself a hand injury, she might resort to calling him Sanosuke... If she hadn't known his mother quite well, she would swear that this little one must be related to the rooster-head.  
  
"A little sore when I walk on it...but it's fine when I sit still."  
  
"That's good," she murmured, looking up at him as she tied the wrappings off. "Staying off it for a while will make you heal much faster."  
  
"Hai," he grumbled, jumping out of his chair and down onto the floor. "Itai!"  
  
Shaking her head, she watched as he hopped on one leg out to his mother in the waiting room. 'Some little boys never do grow up, do they?'  
  
The brush dipped into the well, drawing out enough ink to record the work done for Kentaro. The brush had just settled onto the paper when a loud crash jolted Megumi from her work.  
  
Genzai-sensei leaned in the doorway, a sweatdrop clinging to his wrinkled brow. "It seems our patient has just woken up..."  
  
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As it turns out, trying to stand up when blind and disoriented is a highly difficult task. Sano had one of the worst hang overs he could actually remember and it was frustrating him to no end that he had no idea where in the hell he was.  
  
It only made matters worse that he was starving.  
  
Once on his feet, he was left to his own devices while wandering the room. He reached a cautious hand off to the side, finding the smooth wooden surface of a table. With little flourish, he knocked the wooden tub of water unto the floor. He could feel a bit of the cold seeping in at his bandaged feet.  
  
By tracing his fingers along the wall he had nearly gotten to the door when he heard footsteps.  
  
"Sanosuke! Get back into that bed!"  
  
He barely managed to stifle a "Is that an offer to join me, Kitsune?" Normally, he could take great delight in sparking the fire of anger in her eyes and driving the slightest flush to grace her high cheekbones. But right now, he couldn't see worth a damn. And by the tone of her voice, she was in no mood to argue. Trying to keep his still pounding head in one still pounding piece, he sagely decided to mind the onna-sensei's orders. "Where is it."  
  
"Where is what, rooster head?" Her voice was piercing.  
  
"The bed." He frowned, bringing a hand to his temples to quiet the throbbing ache. Weren't doctors supposed to try and be kind to their patients.  
  
"It's right over here, Sanosuke-san." Genzai-sensei stepped forwards, guiding him back to the bed. The old doctor stopped walking and pressed lightly on the ex-gangster's shoulder. "Have a seat."  
  
  
  
Megumi had a sinking feeling. His sense of direction was bad, but he had never managed to get himself lost in the same room before. Something was very wrong.  
  
"How many fingers am I holding up, Sano-san?" Three wrinkled fingers appeared right in front of Sano's face.  
  
After a moment's hesitation, he lifted his hand to manual count the raised fingers by touch. "Three," he drawled, dropping his hand back to his lap.  
  
Surprise was evident on both doctors' faces, not that the patient could tell by looking. Silence clung in the air.  
  
"You can't see at all, can you?" 


	4. Far Off Gaze

To See with Eyes Unclouded  
  
Chapter 4: Far Off Gaze  
  
Sango-sama  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own Kenshin. Don't own Sano. ::sobs::  
  
Thanks to Susan, Emiri-chan and Arashi for reviewing.  
  
IT LIVES!  
  
...barely. I've spent the past week or so playing housemaid for my family and attempting to unpack my stuff from college, assembling an archeology lesson plan for my mother, and also trying to work a 40 hour work week. On top of that I've been puzzling out how to characterize Sano and Megumi in this one. -_-  
  
Revisions made 5/16/02…not perfect, but it's better….  
  
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"You can't see at all, can you?" The elderly doctor's eyebrows had furrowed, his voice dropping its usually jovial timbre. He had suspected that the young man was having trouble seeing just by looking into his eyes. The rich brown depths had a glazed and far off look at about them, completely unable to train their focus.  
  
Just as soon as he had dropped the Genzai-sensei's fingers, Sano's fists balled up, trembling with an unusually quiet anger. He slumped back down onto the mattress, only to promptly slide off onto the hard ground.  
  
"Kuso," he muttered under his breath. Jaw clenched tight, he twisted back around, arms outstretched and searching for some sort of clue of where he was headed. His arms jerked aimlessly through the air until his fingers finally fell upon the soft futon. The hand traveled back and forth across the smooth fabric, identifying the head and foot of the bed before he struggled to settle himself back upon the mattress.  
  
It was so frustrating being suddenly unable to see. The simplest of tasks would now take him so much longer. Even all of his physical strength seemed for naught. Sure, he could walk wherever he needed to, but he'd be sure to end up running into something. Gambling was out. People wouldn't hesitate to take advantage…not that it would change his luck significantly. Even cooking has its hazards, for the few chance occasions where he was forced to make food for himself, he'd always manage to cut himself.  
  
Would he have to depend on someone to help him? At least until he could see again…  
  
He heard the softest of footfalls approaching and tried to keep himself from taking in a sharp breath as a cold, delicate hand rested on his forehead.  
  
"Still a fever…" she mumbled to herself.  
  
Perhaps it was just his imagination, but the Kitsune's voice sounded…odd. Quiet and unsure, it was a far cry from her usually confident, often brassy personality. There was something else there too…something in her wavering voice that he couldn't place a name to.  
  
Before he even had the time to chance a guess, soft fingertips brushed across his skin, pushing the errant silken strands up off of his forehead.  
  
He felt a light heat rise to his cheeks under her careful attentions. It was no secret to any of the Kenshin-gumi that Sano, in fact, did care quite deeply for the female doctor. She was always the one there to patch up his many wounds, with a lecture on how he ought to take better care of himself, always just a bit louder than the time before.  
  
He took a certain masculine pride out of the fact that he was the only one who seemed able to cause such anger from one so usually calm and collected. Her cheeks would flush the palest pink as sparks danced in her eyes; one could hardly tell that she was blushing unless they looked hard enough.  
  
Silently, he cursed his lack of sight.  
  
The compress was resettled on his forehead  
  
"Go back to sleep for now, Tori-atama." Although slightly forced, she regained herself enough for impatient tones as she stepped through the door. "I can't let you leave while you are completely helpless."  
  
A sharp snap signaled her exit.  
  
'Che. Helpless, she says.'  
  
Sullenly, he let his eyes slip closed.  
  
  
  
Once outside the rice paper wall, Megumi bit her lip.  
  
The sharp pangs of guilt were gnawing away at her insides. If only she had caught him before he had gone and explained, this never would have happened.  
  
"Megumi-kun." Jolted from her thoughts, her eyes met with the solemn face of her mentor. "You know it's very likely that he'll never recover his sight."  
  
Silently she nodded.  
  
With a small smirk touching his lips, he continued. "To be truthful, I worry about the boy. He's in here all the time to be patched up. If he has that much trouble when he could see, I would hate to see what sort of condition he will come in with now that his sight is gone."  
  
Megumi's face darkened. 'That idiot probably will still get into fights. And with that sense of direction, he's bound to run into absolutely everything.'  
  
"So, if you don't mind, I'd like to ask him to stay here in the clinic."  
  
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Thanks to Arashi and Gypsy-chan for the suggestions…I promise I will address Sano's condition soon. ^_^ Really, I will! 


End file.
